Back to Basics: Ginger and Garlic Paste

I guess I have been posting so many recipes now… that today I thought, I will take a breather and post something that is really basic, yet a very important part of our day to day cooking.

I am talking about ginger and garlic. Initially, our moms used to just peel the garlic and ginger as and when required and pound it in their mortar and pestle but now with technology being advanced and time being a major factor of concern, our lives have pushed us to move towards ginger and garlic in paste formats. There are so many brands available in the market that you literally don’t need to even look at the ginger and garlic in the vegetable section at the store. There may come a stage where we may forget how it looks like!!! Ahem…

When I had just got married, my HD showed me the bottle of ginger-garlic paste on the shelf, just close to the pickles. He told me, “You already don’t have time, why simply waste time by peeling ginger and garlic? Go for it!” I used them for all the time that we were alone, mainly because I was really lazy to make them by my own. Once we started staying with my parents, I realised the difference in the tastes of the curry was so determined by the fresh ginger and garlic. Umma used to always do her pastes at the beginning of the week and use it in all her curries so conveniently. The only thing is that if we modify our attitude of laziness to peel ginger and garlic, to making yourself feel like it is an exercise of stress busting – there! The trick is done! OK, let me just go about how I make it before getting onto many more pointers…

So that’s my way of doing the paste, and I really love to do so. You will find a bottle in my fridge at any time. Any more tips that you all can help with??? Please welcome yourselves by sharing it in the comments… 🙂

Put into your grinder along with salt and oil and grind it well to a smooth paste.

Store in a clean glass bottle and use when required!

Notes

1. I always grind my ginger and garlic separately. This way, you can control what goes into your dishes.2. My umma grinds equal quantity of ginger and garlic to make ginger-garlic paste. I have seen that some use a proportion of ¾ part of garlic to 1 part of ginger. I guess it's totally upto your choice. I still prefer to grind them separately.3. To peel garlic easily, give the garlic a nice hard press, drop into a bowl of water for 5 minutes and start peeling. It would come off quite easily.4. I'm yet to discover an easy way of peeling ginger. Anybody can help me out, please??? 🙂5. Do not store garlic paste on the refrigerator door. This will make the garlic color move from yellow to green. Even though you still can use it, the green color does not look really appealing.

Great tip Raf! I always make my ginger garlic paste fresh & never buy from the stores. The freshly made ones definitely enhances the taste & gives the true flavor. Well since every time i need very little quantity i crush it with a rolling pin(like the way we do chapathi & it works great)

priya, would u blv me if i say that now i've made her do the way i do?? 🙂 when she was on one of her long stays, she came back to see two bottles in the fridge and gave me a strange look. once she learned the convenience, she started keeping both seperately!!! 😀 thanks a lot dear…

i guess ginger would stay longer, but what about garlic? i find it changes color how much ever i try sterilizing the bottle… any tips? thanks for sharing the ginger peeling technique, sounds effective!